Lawrence Co. Man Facing Charges After Standoff

VOLANT (KDKA) — A man is facing charges following a standoff that started early this morning and lasted for several hours in Lawrence County.

The incident started before 6 a.m. in the 1600-block of Shaw Road in Volant.

Investigators say 43-year-old James Suszynski barricaded himself inside his home.

A massive amount of police were called to the scene. Police say Suszynski is accused of threatening to shoot himself and his wife should she return home.

She was not home when the incident started and was able to call 911.

“He threatened to use a gun and there are weapons within the house,” said Lt. Douglas Humble, of the Pennsylvania State Police. “She was somewhere else and she had called us and he had threatened to do this if she returned home.”

The entire stretch of Shaw Road was shut down on both ends while police tried to talk Syszynski out of the house. He eventually gave himself up and was taken away by police.

The road has been reopened.

Meanwhile, the next door neighbor said he saw all the police this morning, but had no idea what was going on.

“Actually, we walked in front of one of those SWAT team, and he said ‘Oh, wait a minute,’ and so we had to walk around the woods to get to the back door,” said neighbor Barry Weaver. “They told us to just stay inside.”

Suszynski is being charged with making terroristic threats and must undergo a mental evaluation.